Toothbrush



Jan. 5, 1932. P. s. NEWMAN 1,840,246

TOOTHBRUSH Filed Sept. 24. 1927 INVENTOR. Pff/m MEW/mf ATTORNEY.

Patented dan. 5, 1932V UNITED STATES PATENT oFi-icE PHILIP S. NEWMAN, OF L08 ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TOOTHBBUBH Application led September 24, 1827. lerlal ll'o. 221,703.

As may be inferred from the above title, nection with the appended claim and the '4 this invention relates to an improvement in accompanying drawings, in which:

brushes; and it is an especial object of this n Fig. 1 may be referred to as a side elevainvention to provide, in connection with usutional view with some bristle tufts omitted.

5 al or special handles, open-head tooth brushes F 1g. 2 15 a transverse sectional view, taken 55 Whose socket members, suitably disposed for Substantially as indicated by the line 2-2 the reception of bristle tufts, are of such cross of ig. 1t section and so polished as substantially to Eigz 1s a baclf. view, taken substantially prevent lodgment of tooth powder, tooth as Indicated by the arrow 3 of Fig. 1, but

i paste or the like,-presumably contaminated ShOvYlng anl alternative type of brush head. oo

with bacteria and food residues. Fig. 4 1s a transverse section taken sub- As indicated below, the principles of my Stantially as indicated b the line 4 4 of invention are capable of application to brush F1g. 3, but on a slightly en arged scale. heads of various congurations,-such as Flg. 5 1S a fragmentary view, taken from l5 two-prong or three-prong or rake-type or an opposite direction to big. 4, substantially 65 triangular or other special brushes; and, reaS lndwated by the arrow 5 of Fig. l. gardless of the specific character of the brush F1g- 6 1S .a Side elevational view, comparhead, it is an Object of my invention to proable with Fig. 1, but showing a prong or tuft vide brush handles with oppositel disposed SOCket member as longitudinally sectioned Z0 thumb-receiving depressions Wiv suitable alld SllOWlIl uninterrupted OI IlOChed 1011- 70 legends,-to indicate the manner in which the gltlldlllal e ge, 1n .Ime with said sockets, as brush is t0 be held, for Specic effects, elevated relatively to a handle,-parts being It is a further object of my invention to bIOk'en away. provide brush handles of usual or unusual F 1g. 7.15 a transverse sectional view, taken configuration, with novel, decorative and dis- Substantially as indicated by the line 7 7, 75

tin uishing color effects, as hereinafter de- 0I Eig. 6, but on enlarged scale.

scried; and it is also an object of my n- Figs: 8 and 9 are respectivel com arvention, in some forms thereof, to rovide able wlth F 1 s. 6 and 7 being esigne to open-head brushes with socket mem ers or ShOW a slight y diierent cross sectional type prongs disposed at various levels relatively 0f prong 0r socket member and a lesser ele- 80 to a handle; and/or with prongs provided VatlOn of .the interrupted edge, as hereinwith tufts of bristles diiering in length. after described.

That is to say, using bristles of a uniform Flgl0 1S a paltIal back view showin an quality but varying the length thereof, I may OPQII head 0f SO- Called rake t pe; and ig.

provide a' desired degree of stiness by short- 11 1S a Slmllal VleW ShOWmg a rush head 0f 85 ening the mentioned bristle tufts,-medium So'cfjlued doubleflake tYPestiffness being obtained by the use of bristles Flg- 12 1S a el, C0mPa1'ab1e-W1th Flgsof an intermediate length and softness being 10 and 1.1 Suggestmg' an alternatwe flim of obtained by the use of comparatively long head. Whlch may be regarded as cgmprlslng a bristles. speclial double-rake -or as a double tri- 9 Other objects of my invention, which may an ie 1 g. 13 is a view comparable with F1 Include Chet I'lovlsln of (im fup'tumed up 10-12, but showing a head in which outwargtor guar a er ou er en o one 0.1 more l diminishing prongs are so united as to prongs, and which may or may not include r m a loop -said pronvs disclosin an o 95 the Se 0f a removable brush head, Capable tional inward increase inbdiameter ad a cox;-

of attachment to a handle in either of. SWO responding increase in the size of the tufts sealternative positions, may be best appreciated cured therein,

from the following description of illustrative Fig. 14 may be referred to as a back view 5 embodiments of my invention, taken in conof a slightly more complicated embodiment 10 of my invention in which an open head, substantiall triangularin general outline, is provide with means permitting its removal and reversal, as herelnafter described,an alternative position of alatch element being indicated in dotted lilies.

Fi is a front view of a top portion of a orm of my improved toothbrush, which incorporates many of the ideas shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 13 in a single embodiment.

ig. 16 is a. side view of the embOdiment of Fig. 15.

It will be seen that the brush head shown in Figs. 1 and 2 differs from the two-prong form shown in Fig. 3 mainl in the fact that the latter form mcludes, 1n a usual relationship to a special handle 15, a single pair of suitably spaced and substantially parallel pron or tuft socket members 16-16, whereas t e form shown in Fig. 1 includes an upwardly or forwardly disposed intermediate pron 17 a, interposed between slightly lower (an `optlonally shorter) side prongs 16a-16a.

The said intermediate prong, when disposed above (rather tlian below) the side prongs may be equipped with a row of bristle tufts 19a rendered comparatively stift' by such a shortening of the same as brings their free ends into substantially the same plane with the free endsof tufts 18a carried by the prongs 16a, 164'; and, if desired, the last tuft or tufts at one end of one or more of the prongs may be rendered still more stili and durable, in view ofthe exposed position thereof, b being further shortened, as compared wit other tufts on the same prong; and the terminal tuft or tufts referred to may be protected by suitable guard tips, somewhat as su gested at 20a, Fig. 1.

Althoug I may arrange the prongs or tuft-socket members referred to 1n various ways, as hereinafter described, and although I may also relate handles thereto iny various ways, I consider it of great advantage to give to the mentioned prongs or to any socket members used in an open-head brush substantially'y such a cross sectional outline as is illustrated in Fig. 7, or an outline resemblin that in Fig. 9, or some similar or intermediate configuration adapted to prevent any lodgment of material thereon. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the respective prongs of a two-prong brush, or an intermediate prong or prongs of a more complex brush, may be so molded or cut as to provide the front face l thereof'with a comparatively sharp edge of the general-character illustrated at 210', this edge (whether produced b molding or by such a grinding and polis ing of adjacent surfaces as contributes to the shar ness of said edge) bein interru ted by cy indrical or other tuft soc et 220. f desired, the back surface 23o of any prong may be substantially iiat and the side surfaces 240, 240

thereof may be so molded or grounded and polished as to provide convergent uniformabout the same level or below the corresponding surface of a. brush handle, and even though some or all of the prongs of a pluralpronged brush be so rounded as to provide a substantially ovoidal cross sectional outline, it should be understood that upwardly convergent surfaces such as are shown at 25o-250 and at 25d-25d are intended to meet at a decidedly acute angle and to be so uniformly shaped that the provision of the mentioned sockets implies a notched effect such as is best shown at 26o and 26d,-the tuft sockets being of sufficient depth to retain their res an apparent eficiency of lateral support 1n the regions of the respective interrupted edges referred to. The bristle tufts may be secured in the described sockets, presumably circular in cross sectional outline, in any usual or preferred manner,-as by drawing or stapling,the mode of attachment thereof, presumably after a polishing of the prongs, being immaterial to my present invention.

I am aware that brushes have heretofore been provided with open backs and/or with rather narrow prongs, but I am unacquainted with any brush in which the reduction of lodgment surface has been carried to the limit above described,-level lodgment surfaces being entirely avoided. f

By way of illustrating the applicability of the principles of my invention to other openback brushes, I show in Figs. 10 and 11 respectively a so-calledraketypebrush anda so-called double-rake-type brush,-the former comprising a longitudinally extending prong 16e from which subsidiary prongs 16e extend substantially at right angles and the latter comprising a central prong 167e from which tooth-like subsidiary prongs 16;" extend in opposite directions.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 12, above referred to as a special double-rake or double triangle brush, unequal subsidiary prongs 16g extend symmetrically from a central prong 16g; and in Fig. 13 I suggest the applicability of the principle of my invention to aloop brush. This may be thought of as comprising a single prong of hair-pin shape or as produced by uniting the .outer ends of outwardly diminishing or otherprongs 16h, 16h,-the illustrated prongs being provided with tuft sockets 22h which increase in diameter in the direction of the tive tufts notwithstanding handle, some being molded double and others elliptical.

Although all of the above described brushes are shown as provided with integral handles, I suggest in Fig. 14 the possibility of detachably connecting a triangular or other brush comprising a main prong 162 and subsidiary prongs lll/1I to a suitable handle, such as, for example, a handle 1-5z',- shown as provided with an interitting face or socket 27 and both with a cylindrical or other projection 282" adapted to enter a corresponding longitudinal opening in the prong 16a" and with a resilient or other latch element 29a. The latter is shown as provided with a detent 30 adapted to so enter a substantially central notch Blz" in the prong 16a-v as to permit the described head to be reversed upon the disclosed handle.

Although various features of the invention which I have above described are capable of use in connection with any suitable handle, I prefer to employ therewith handles of the general character best disclosed in Figs. l, 3 and 14. In each of the figures last referred to I show a slightly bent or comparatively straight handle as provided upon each of its larger surfaces with a thumb depressiomwthe thumb depression 32 upon the back of each-brush being optionally provided with a directive legend suoli as is shown in Fig. 3, and the opposite depression 33 being then provided with a suppleinental legend such as is suggested in Fig. 5. These legends, Whether applied to the mentioned depressions or elsewhere upon the surfaces referred to, may serve to direct the uvenile or other user as to the best manner of positioning the thumb for the proper cleansing of the respective surfaces of the upper and lower rows of teeth.

To contribute to the sanitary effect referred to, the prongs of all my brushes may be individually polished; and, to contribute to the attractiveness of my brushes, and to aid users thereof in easily identifying the same, l propose to polish not only the mentioned prongs but other parts, and to provide said heads and/or respective longitudinal areas of the mentioned handles with different but harmonious colors or shades,ordi narily providing one color upon the central back and front areas 34, 34', another color upon side areas 35, and a third color upon intermediate areas 36,-'so that not less than three colors may be seen from any angle. If desired, more than three colors may be employed, but by varying the shades and arrangement thereof, I can obtain sufficient variety by the use of three colors or shades.

In Fig. 15, Fig. 16 I show a form of tooth brush that embodies many of the advantages of some of the other forms discussed. Thus it has the narrow edges 41 to prevent lodgement of dirt. It is of the loop type, having three bristle socket members 42, 43, 44, the center member 43 being raised above the other two. Each member 42, 43, 44, has a guard tip 45. It also includes the three colored handle 46, and the legend portion 47, to instruct the novice in the use of the brush.

Although I have described several alternative embodiments of my invention, it Will be understood not only that various features thereof may be independently employed, and that the principles of my invention are applicable to brushes other than tooth brushes, but also that numerous modifications, additional to those herein referred to, might easily be devised by workers skilled in the arts to which this case relates,-without involving the slight-est departure from the spirit and scope of this invention, as the vsame is indicated above and in the following claim.

I claim:

A tooth brush comprising a handle, and tuft-socket members connected with said handle,-the face of each of said socket members being reduced substantially to an edge interrupted by suitable tuft sockets, and adjacent faces of said socket members being so convergent that said sockets give said edge a notched profile.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

PHILIP S. NEVMAN. 

